The Piquant Taste of Technology Vikas Khanna
The Indian subcontinent has contributed to some of the most important food technologies that have changed global palates, ecologies, and economies. Refining sugar from cane, for example, was first recorded in history on the subcontinent. When Alexander the Great’s military campaign reached the edges of the Mauryan Empire, the Hellenistic world was yet unaccustomed to refined sugar—a commodity that would change the world economy in the modern period and help usher in an era of globalization and massive movements (forced and voluntary) of labor. Vikas Khanna’s Michelin-starred restaurant Junoon is the talk of New York. He has cooked for heads of states, hosted MasterChef India, and is the author of many acclaimed cookbooks. In this conversation between Chef Khanna and Sharmila Sen, we learn about humble food technologies of South Asia—found in small towns and villages—that continue to inspire a world-class chef. What is one of your favorite food-related technologies from South Asia? Flattening of rice—rice is first soaked and then flattened with a special mortar and pestle—in Maharashtra. I recently spent some time exploring this age-old technology for flattening rice in India. Is there a particular food technology that you think Indian chefs should use or learn about more from other cuisines and cultures? Indian food itself is very rich in flavors but it can be a challenge to plate it. To stimulate their own creative plating, Indian chefs could benefit from observing the plating techniques of other ethnic cuisines. Is there a particular food technology specific to South Asia that you think is in danger of being lost and should be revived? While traveling you learn that the roots of Indian cuisine are in small Harvard South Asia Institute 17